As Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium provides the backdrop to Super Bowl LX between New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, an almost forgotten story involving Carlton’s NFL foray of almost 50 years ago has been revived.

The story was recently retold by SEN’s Shannon Gill on the strength of a photograph supplied to him by Trent Mayne (grandson of the long-serving Carlton trainer Ron Vincent) of the Blues’ brief run on Candlestick Park – the venue for The Beatles’ last concert in 1966 – as a warm-up act for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers-Atlanta Falcons match-up in ’77.

The grainy colour photo captured by Vincent reveals the likes of Maclure, McKay, Southby and Walls in full dark Navy strip in a huddle on the hallowed turf before a full house on Candlestick Park. The team was to have met Richmond in a $100,000 Australian Rules promotion, but with the Tigers’ pre-tour withdrawal, the Avco-sponsored Blues were left to their own devices to complete a 45-minute skills session broken up by a friendly kick-to-kick.

The tour, which was chiefly planned by the club’s then General Manager the late Keith ‘Caper’  McKenzie (who famous arranged for Abba’s Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog to be decked out in dark Navy Blue guernseys on the band’s arrival in Melbourne), also took in Los Angeles with a trip to Disneyland, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. In LA, some players dined with Australia’s Miss World winner Belinda Green, and in Honolulu McKenzie and Carlton players Walls, Southby, Maclure and McKay met with the then Democratic Mayor Frank Fasi.

A photograph of that meeting was retained for posterity by McKay, along with a personally signed message from the Mayor reading “Aloha and best wishes . . . ”

Though little was recorded of Carlton’s Candlestick Park jaunt, a clipping contained in the NFL’s Pro! magazine of Sunday, October 9, 1977 – a magazine loving retained after all these years by McKay – sheds precious light.

Headlined AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL PREGAME, the report reads as follows:

At pregame today 49er fans will have an opportunity to see “football” as it is played by thousands of people in Australia. Members of the Carlton Football Club from Melbourne, Australia will give a demonstration of marking (high catches) and kicking (drop kick style).

The Carlton Club is a member of the Victorian Football League (the Australian NFL). The VFL season extends for 26 weeks from April to September, culminating in the Final Series for the coveted Premiership (Super Bowl). Crowds of over 100,000 fans attend these final played-off games.

The game of Australian Football, which began in 1858, bore a similarity to Rugby and Gaelic Football in the early stages, but through its long evolution, has developed its own distinctive character. Highlighted by the high-marking, long kicks, speed and high scores, this style of football is played by every red-blooded Australian boy.

Although the game involves much physical contact, no protective gear is worn by the players.

Scoring is similar to American football with 6 points for a goal and one point for a “behind” (PAT). As many as 300 points can be scored in a single game.

For the record, Atlanta defeated the 49ers 7-0.

McKay vaguely recalled utilising both the Australian and American footballs through the course of the 45-minute Candlestick Park session.

“All I remember is that the American ball was pointier and smaller than our own. If you got onto them when you kicked the torps flew, but if you didn’t they crash and burn,” McKay said.

“There was a big Carlton contingent on that tour – players, supporters and staff – I can remember the Club Doctor Billy Briglia, as well as the property steward Ken Kleiman.

“There was no interraction with the 49ers though, because our game was seen as entertainment rather than sport.”

Other tour highlights according to McKay were trips to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. He also remembers some of the players heading off to Mexico in a hire van.

Of the Los Angeles lunch gathering with Miss World, McKay vaguely recalled the late Australian performer Toni Lamond capably serving as host.

“We were at this rib joint where they piled a mountain of ribs in the middle of the table. We ended up taking as many back to the hotel as we ate,” McKay said.